Hairpin holder



ck., 26, H948. A. K. STEVENS 2,452,400

HAIRPIN HOLDER Filed oct. 28, 194e IN VEN TOR.

, y I f/ f y yal/LAW,

Patented Oct. 26, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIRPXN HOLDER Adolph K. Stevens, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application October 28, 1946, Serial No. 706,173

This invention relates to holders for hairpins and the like, and particularly to those which are employed in beauty parlors to support the hairpins in a position conveniently accessible to an operator working upon the hair of a patron.

After the hair is prepared, it is necessary to hold it in the curled condition for a certain length of time until it dries, and this holding is commonly accomplished by the use of metal hair pins. The operator must pick up the pins one by one to apply them to the hair, and it is desirable that the pins be convenient to the operators hands and removable individually While he is working the hair into the desired configurations.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved holder for hairpins and the like; with which the danger of the operator dropping the pins will be substantially reduced; with which the pins will be releasably and conveniently supported in a conveniently accessible position for either hand oi' the operator while performing his work on the hair of a patron; with which the pins may be easily and individually removed for use with only one hand of the operator; with which the aid of the patron is not required; with which substantial movement of the hands of the operator away from the head of the patron being worked upon will be unnecessary while pinning the hair; which will not annoy the patron; which will not interfere with the use of the usual apron or cape employed for protecting the clothing of the patron while being worked upon; which may be easily mounted in convenient positions, moved from position to position or removed; and which will be relatively simple, light in weight, compact, practical and inexpensive.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of two embodiments of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a holder constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of a part of the same;

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional elevation of the same, the section being taken approximately along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a cape carrying the improved pin holder, and representing another embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the improved holder includes a freely exible strap i. such as of leather or fab- 11 Claims.

ric, having weights 2 at its ends. Intermediate of its ends, the strap l carries a cup-shaped receptacle 3 having an inturned ange, abutment, or bead li at its open face, and having its bottom wallsuitably secured to the strap l in any suitable manner, such as by having a pin 5 depending from the bottom wall, passing through an aperture in the strap l, and carrying a head 6 which prevents removal of the cup from the strap. The cup is preferably frustoconical in shape, that is, its side walls are downwardly convergent as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

A tubular magnet ring 'l is disposed along the inside wall of the cup (i as a liner therefor, and it is conned in the cup by the inturned flange t which overlies the outer end of the ring l. The

ring 'i .is also preferably frusto-conical so as to t the side wall of the cup 3, and made of permanently magnetized material, so that it forms a permanent magnet with its poles at the ends of the ring. When the ring is magnetized in this manner, the magnetic flux between the poles will be from end to end of the ring, that is, from top to bottom of the cup 3, and this flux will attract and hold the iron or steel hair pins P against the side wall of the ring and cup, and generally parallel to the axis of the ring l, as shown in Fig. 1. The interior of the ring is entirely unobstructed and clear, and the pins will all be held in generally upright, outstanding positions, as shown in Fig. 1 merely by the magnetic attraction, and they may be individually removed.

By placing the strap I over either shoulder of a patron, the weights 2 will hold the strap against unintentional displacement thereon, with the cup 3 upright and adjacent one side of the head of the patron being worked upon. With a quantity of the hair pins disposed in the cup, the pins will be very convenient to the operators hands while he is working upon the hair, and the pins may be individually removed, entirely by the use of one hand. There is no danger of the pins being lost upon the floor because even if the cup should be tipped or upset, the magnetic attraction will hold the pins within the cup.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the cup 3 is secured upon the shoulder part of the apron or cape 8 to be worn by the patron, instead of the strap I. The cup 3 may be made of any suitable material, but it is preferably made of molded material such as any of the molded plastics, or of soft rubber and deformable or exible slightly when the ring 'l is inserted therein, in order that mechanical fastening means and screws lmay be eliminated.

It will be noted that since the magnetic ux of the ring is endwlse thereof because the poles of the magnet are at the ends of the ring, it will tend to straighten the pins and hold them straight out and against the sides of the ring. This is due to the fact that a magnetic eld tends to pull an iron member into a position to extend in the same direction as the lines of force or llux. Therefore, when the hair pins are inserted, they will automatically be straightened to extend out of the cup and will be so held. By passing the cup over and in close proximity to the ocr, hair pins that may have been dropped will be picked up and held to the cup by magnetic attraction, but with this construction the danger of the pins being lost accidentally is greatly reduced.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in .the art within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

I'claim:

1. A holder for hair pins comprising a cupshaped element of non-magnetic material, an upright permanent magnet disposed along the inside side wall of said cup and confined thereto with one pole adjacent the open face of the element and the other pole adjacent the bottom of said element, and a member attached to said cup and depending therefrom, by which the cup may be supported.

2. A holder for hair pins comprising a cupshaped element of non-magnetic material, a closedring permanent magnet disposed along and tting the inside side Wall of said cup and conned thereto with its poles at the ends of the ring, and a freely exible strap secured to said cup, extending in opposite directions therefrom and having Weights on its ends by which the cup may be held on a shoulder of a patron.

3. A holder for hair pins; comprising a cupshaped element of non-magetic material having an upright magnet along its inside side wall, with one magnetic pole at its top and the opposite magnetic pole at the bottom, and a. member attached to said cup for supporting it in a desired position, whereby hair pins in said cup will be held magnetically therein in upright positions against said side wall, and may be withdrawn one by one as desired.

4. A holder for hair pins comprising an annular magnet, an element attached to said magnet and closing one end of the space enclosed by said magnet, leaving the other end of said space open and largely unobstructed, whereby hair pins placed in said space will be confined in upright positions against said magnet.

5. A holder for hair pins comprising an annular magnet, a cup of non-magnetic material surrounding said magnet and closing one end of the space enclosed by said magnet, leaving the oppostte end of said space largely open and unobstructed, whereby hair pins placed in said space will be conned in upright positions against said magnet.

6. A holder for hair pins comprising a cupshaped element having an internal llange along its open face, and a isop-shaped magnet lining the inside side wall of said element and conned within said element by' said flange, the depth of said cup being less than the length of hair pins, whereby hair pins placed in said element will be conined against said side wall in straight out positions.

7. A holder for hair pins comprising a cupshaped element of molded plastic material having an internal flange along its open face, and a loopshaped magnet lining the inside side wall of said element and conned within said element by said ilange, the depth of said cup being less than the length of hair pins, whereby hair pins placed in said element will be conned against said side wall in straight out positions.

7. A holder for hair pins comprising a cupshaped element of frusto-conical shape having its smaller end closed, and an annular magnet also of hollow frusto-conical shape conned to and lining the inside side wall of'said element, whereby hair pins placed in said element will be held in generally straight out positions against said side wall.

9. A holder for hair pins comprising a molded plastic, cup-shaped element of frusto-conical shape having its smaller end closed and an lnturned flange at its larger open end, and an annular magnet alsoof hollow frusto-conical shape confined to the inside side wall of said element by said flange, whereby hair pins placed in said element will be held in generally straight out positions against said side wall.-

l0. A pin holder comprising a tubular ring of magnetic material, peripherally continuous in a direction transverse to the axis of the ring, and magnetized to have the poles at its opposite ends, and frly flexible means attached to and supporting said ring and formed to drape over ones shoulder for support therefrom.

l1. A holder for hair pins comprising a closed loop permanent magnet having its ends open and its length between poles less than the length of a hair pin, and a supporting element attached to said magnet for supporting it with an open face thereof exposed for access to any hair pins confined within the loop.

ADOLPH K. STEVENS.

REFERENCES CITED 'lhe following references are of record in the filo of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,176,052 Beyer Oct. 17, 1939 2,283,543 Draper May 19, 1942 

